Eye Tests

[Emma_Marie]

hey guys i was wondering do people with keratoconus have any special entitlement to getting help for paying for eye tests/solutions etc?

[Sweet]

Unfortunately not, or i least i never have. Saying that though, my twin sister gets her lenses free and has never had to pay for them. We are not under the same hospital. You just need to be selective on where you go i guess!

Good luck!

Sweet X x X

[John Smith]

Hello Emma Marie, and welcome to the forum!

Well, the answer to your question is "it depends". Basically, the answer is no, we don't get any special benefits because we have KC.

In my case though, the KC in my left eye makes my prescription "complex", which does mean that I get free NHS sight tests and a tiny discount on specs.

Hope this helps,

John

[GarethB]

Hi Emma,

Once refered to the hospital, I am so regular I do not pay for eye tests and my lenses are subsidised so I anly pay £50 per lens. Solutions I buy in bulk from the net to save money.

Through work I am entitled to free eye tests because of the amount of time I spend infront of a computer.

Regards

Gareth

[Lynn White]

OK - as an optom I think I can clear this one up!

People here are talking about two different things... the NHS eye tets you get at an optician's and the Hospital Eye Service.

You cannot get an eye test purely because you have keratoconus. You do get free eye tests if you have glaucoma or if your nearest relatives have glaucoma and you are over 40. You also do get help if you are diabetic.

If your prescription goes over a certain level, then you do get financial help - this is what John meant by "complex" prescriptions. This applies to people with any eye condition.

Now, if you attend an Hospital Eye clinic then you don't pay for check ups etc just like you would not pay if you went to for any other treatment.

High Street opticians are contracted out to the NHS and the NHS will only pay for certain things.

There are a lot of inconsistancies in what the Government will pay for but the presumption is - if your KC gets quite bad then you will be seen at a hospital, therefore no need to give free eye tests at opticians.

Whether this is actually fair is an another argument!

Lynn

[Sweet]

Ok sorry didn't make that too clear!

I pay for an eye test at a high street opticians, just as i pay him for a contact lens, but i don't pay for an eye test at a hospital but i still pay for a lens. In all honesty, it doesn't really mean much financially, as an eye test is an eye test, and lenses cost so much more! So generally speaking you don't pay to be seen at a hospital being the NHS, but you do have to pay anywhere else, and for lenses while you may get a reduced rate, you still need to pay for them. Unless you get a consultant like my sisters who thinks this is grossly unfair if you have a condition requiring lenses and waives costs!

If you have been referred to be seen at a hospital the general theory goes that they will take over your care and you won't need to go back to your high street optician. Unless like me, you actually prefer the lens and care you had at the opticians and would rather go back there for new ones!

Also, there is a MUCH shorter waiting time with a local optician, so my reasoning is if you find a good one who can fit you with a good lens, to stick with them. Then keep up with the hospital and get checks at least every year to make sure that everything is ok. As they are the only ones who can suggest grafting etc it is advisable to be under a consultant somewhere just to make sure. Also it is nice to be able to check in every year and see how things are, as most here can tell you this condition can change very quickly and you need to be aware of it!

Hope that helps, sorry i didn't make it very clear last time!

Sweet X x X

[Emma_Marie]

i suppose i am lucky in so far that my the hospital so far has supplied me with my lenses free of charge furthermore, up until recently i didnt have to pay 4 my solutions at all - i got them on prescription. but since becoming a student and turning 19 ive found that i have to pay 4 everything! i did fill in that HC11 form (i think thats what its called) and im getn no help at all, my highstreet optician has told me to fill it in again as i should def b entitled to something.

At the moment i have been wearing my lenses all the time 4 at least 15hrs a day and am having awful problems with them drying out. I need to get new glasses (even tho they don't help that much) but the price is ridiculous - even with student discount!

As a student, im constantly sitting infront of the computer and even with the zoomtext, its an awful strain on the eyes. Does anyone have any ideas on how to stop eyes drying out? i cant take my lenses out because i can't see without them!

thanx guys
emma

[Sweet]

Hi, get some good lubricating eye drops! Systane is really good, but there doesn't seem to be a consenus yet on whether you can use it with lenses in, although it does say you can use it twice a day so put a drop in about ten minutes before you put your lens in and last thing at night. I use it and find it very helpful, and it is cheaper if you buy it online as well.

There are loads of other eye drops about as i'm sure you have found out! It varies which one will be good for you. I find that saline drops are fine, as i now piggy back a lens, so it helps to soak the soft lens underneath. I am not sure where you would get this, as i am lucky in that i get it in work. But have a look around and most superstores, chemists etc will have some form of lubricating drop and you just need to experiment until you find one you like!

A lot of people here use refresh or blink, so i suggest going to check them out. Good luck! And yes, paying for lenses and solution is hard, but i find i would gladly pay and see than not, although i had the same trouble when i was a student. And then it was do i eat, go out and drink, or do i see??!!! LOL!

Take care, Sweet X x X

[GarethB]

Emma,

Definitly sounds like you have a typical case of over wearing lens syndrome which we are all guilty of.

To get a comfortable 16 hours I wear one lens at a time. I start with my worst eye being the right one and after 8 hours out comes the lens and I wear my left lens for 8 hours. Total wear time is 16 hours and within my tolerance. Only use Systane to lubricate the lens as I am sensitive too them. I do not suffer from dry eyes though.

[Susan Mason]

Hi

If you previously got your solutions on prescription, maybe you can continue to do this asking your prescription provider to prescribe a higher quantity. You can then either pay for each prescription as you get it or buy a pre paid prescription certificate which I think you can get for varying amounts of time (I have a 12 month one) and then each prescription you get is covered.

As Gareth said wearing one lens at a time may well help with the dry eyes/over wearing situation. It may be a little odd at first however, after a few days you should get used to it and it may mean you can function a little easier with the studying and reading etc.

best wishes

Susan